How Are You? Really?

Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other in Christian love.

1 Corinthians 13:11,12

At home, our early morning salutations are a pretty cursory affair as, after corporate morning prayers, everyone grunts a greeting and dashes off to whatever activity begins their day. But not when Grandma is visiting. Then greetings become a special event.

 

After prayers, we all sit down and wait in expectation because we know Mama is about to greet us. Slowly and deliberately, indeed she will not be rushed, she turns to Dad and looks him straight in the eye. "Orkurga," she says, using his birth name, "Good morning, did you sleep well?" This is no routine question, as you can feel from her tone and attitude that she means precisely what she says.  "Did you sleep well?" requires an honest answer.

 

One by one she greets us, going in a circle. I can't wait for my turn. "Doosuur." She addresses me.

 

"Eh, Mama", I answer, all the while knowing what will come next.

 

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" What a wonderful question. And I know that she would really like to know.

 

What a contrast this draws with the perfunctory salutations we offer each other every day. Offerings like "Good day" and "How are you?" have become mundane and hardly ever mean more than the barest of acknowledgements. But then, if we would take a minute to slow down, look someone in the eye and ask him, honestly, "How are you? Really?", we might be surprised at what the answer might be. Because often we will discover that beneath the veneer of a smiling face and a ready answer, lies a human being, all too familiar with the hurts, worries and concerns that make everyday living what it is.

 

A question as simple and commonplace as "How are you?" can become a veritable tool for breaking down barriers and getting into someone's world to offer comfort, healing and wisdom. And, beyond this, in that singular moment where all your attention is fixed on that one person, he feels special, very special indeed.

 

Hello there. Yes, I'm talking to you. How are you? Really?

 

With love, Doosuur.

 

 

Martha, Dear Martha

It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, "The work is done. What we were told to do, we did."

Luke 17:10

Martha, oh dear Martha. I've always had some empathy for the elder of the Bethany sisters and I have never for the life of me understood why Jesus was so curt with her. He had been walking all day, under the hot Middle Eastern sun when he came to her doorstep, and like any good Hebrew lady, she immediately set to preparing him a hearty meal.

 

There she was, kneading the dough, stoking the hearth, stirring the stew, all by herself, while her wide-eyed, vivacious sibling sat at Jesus' feet, listening to stories rather than letting the good man have some rest. Wiping a bead of sweat from her brow, she tossed a towel over her shoulder and marched into the living room. Arms akimbo, she demanded, "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me?"

 

Good question. But wait for it; Jesus is not impressed. "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (Luke 10)

 

A friend recently shared with me the words of Luke 17, and they struck a chord - I can do God no favors. Jesus, speaking here, says it quite succinctly:

 

Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, "Sit down and eat"? Wouldn't you be more likely to say, "Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I've finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper"? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what's expected of him? It's the same with you. When you've done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, "The work is done. What we were told to do, we did." (vv. 7-10, Message)

 

Martha was working hard, doing her best to serve God. But God was not impressed. He's already done so much more to serve me that my highest service pales in comparison. All he requires of me is to do exactly what he tells me to do. And if that means sitting still at his feet, well, that's were I ought to be.

 

So take pause, stop being oh-so-busy for a minute and consider: "No matter what I do, I can do God no favors. All that will ever impress Him is that I'm in that position of submission, attentive to His Word and His Will." Stop fussing and sit down for a minute and be blessed as you do.

 

With love, Doosuur.